The Summer
by sno-man80
Summary: An unexpected turn of events unfolds during a summer as the group travels and they try to gather up the last of the shards before the final faceoff with Naraku.


**The Summer**

**Chapter 1**

It was the longest day of year according to Kagome. I walked through the morning heat, my feet gliding over the dew soaked grass and my hakama bottoms getting slightly dusted with dampness. No one was up yet as I tip-toed through camp and stoking the fire to get it back up to cooking standards for breakfast. I had just hopped down from my tree silently after a good sleep as I looked around at my companions and sighed. We could have gotten out so much earlier today had we not travelled so much last night. It was my ego alone I had to blame for this fact. "Come on guys, we can go another hour at this rate," said I, later than we ever had. The sun was still high enough in the sky to see (for the humans at least; my own vision was enough to see for quite a bit after dark just using the moonlight). I pushed them too hard in my blinded hope to find our next destination; a village Kaede told us was in trouble. In my earlier travels with our pack, I wouldn't have felt a shred of empathy for this but I seem to be getting soft. I shrugged and I chalked it up to one getting more mature. I remember how I was the day I met my first and most important travelling partner; angry, hot-headed and rash. . . come to think of it, I'm still all those things but I've definitely simmered down a whole lot.

There was a fog as I looked in the direction of the river we had just crossed. I sniffed the environment and found there were definitely fish running today. I smirked at the easy meals waiting for me there. I grabbed a basket Kagome that had brought on her last trip to the present (or the future from this perspective) along all the other wondrous goodies she usually did. Stepping around my sleeping comrades who were around the fire which was now back to a respectful height, I made my way to the river to snatch some food up.

Guiltily, I hoped we could leave soon. We had hit a drought in our jewel shard hunting. We've been helping more and more villages lately and not finding anything in accordance to Naraku or any shards. I had been getting antsy about our encounters ever since it started. Sometimes, I'm such an idiot when it comes to these things. I'm so fucking hasty when I speak and when I say something I don't mean, my stupid pride keeps me from taking it back. It feels like there aren't any more shards up for grabs. Naraku.

I stepped into the water slowly and surveyed the water with my eyes. I caught enough in five minutes to feed everyone two fish each. I wanted them to have their energy for the potential battle up and coming. It gave me time to think.

We've definitely come a long way. . . all of us. I turned my head with thoughtful eyes toward camp. Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Kirara and Shippo. I grinned. "We really are a strange group of people." Me. Not to toot my own horn but I've definitely matured myself. I've come to think of them all as family. Thinking of Sesshomaru, I realized that I was wrong there as I chuckled again. But then, Sesshomaru was my blood but he'd never be truly family. I'm not the person I was all those months ago either. I've grown to care. The rest of the humans and youkai can still all go to hell but. . . I care what these people think. I walked back up the short incline towards my companions, who seemed to be stirring as the sun knocked on their eyelids. I grabbed a couple sturdy sticks along the way on which I could roast the catch of the day.

I snuck through the maze of limbs round the warmth to the fire pit to begin planting the fish sticks into the soft earth beside the fire to roast. My group most definitely would be very hungry today. Shippo would definitely finish a whole fish today.

The sun went higher still indicating a long and hot day ahead of us. This would lead to more anger at me in the long run. Well, I have been a slave driver lately I thought, surprising myself. Their anger for me would only grow until Kagome would whine and I would get sat into an oblivion of no return. We've got to get to this next village today and get the monk to purify some someone's house. That'll get us revered as heroes as usual. It was an effective scam Miroku was running, I envied the smug motherfucker. He could stay in comfort the whole of his life should he feel the need to. We might even have some bigger fish to fry with rumors of another demon in a spider scar on its back in the area.

I began to prepare the fish, gutting the fish where necessary with several flicks of my wrist, Miroku and Sango liked the bone in, Shippo fish whole and Kagome of course cleaned and filets only. Kirara liked hers raw being the cat that she is. I placed them on sticks and jabbed them into the soft ground near the fire a respectable distance from the fire.

I heard a stick crack behind me. My instincts hadn't picked it up. I had noticed Miroku stirred a few moments earlier. I turned and faced the crazy fuck I had begun to call my friend. "Inuyasha," he yawned out in his lazy manner. I nodded in his direction in silent response. The pervert monk that stood before me could hardly be considered so. A monk that is. Besides probably breaking his vow of celibacy about a hundred times, was a liar and a cheat to boot and far from someone you'd call a saint. However, he never took what couldn't be spared and was exceptionally good at capturing often the richest family in any given village in his schemes. When you've got a vendetta such as the one our group shares, you do what you need to do I suppose.

I put my finger to my lips in a "shushing" motion.

"I'm not daft baka," he whispered back after rubbing his eyes. "Breakfast already I see."

"Of course. Just because you're an asshole doesn't mean I have to act the same way," I joked.

"That wasn't how the women were feeling yesterday. You've got to, how does Kagome put it, 'cool it'?" he prodded, trying the future turn-a-phrase on for size. "The women are going to mutiny."

I scowled at him. "I know that. Fuck you humans are weak," I added with a grin. I didn't really think this of course. Just a playful prod between friends. My friend had more than proven themselves to be more than formidable at all times. I pretty damn sure Sango could give a good shot killing me if I didn't have my Tessaiga. "What, you learnin' all that fucked up lingo to try to impress Sango? Make your fucking move already ya lecher." I could tell I touched a nerve with my remark when he turned ever so slightly redder in his cheeks. He however, is never stymied in a conversation.

He retorted with, "Looks who's talking Mr. Jealousy. Do I smell wolf on the wind Inuyasha?" he said taking in mock sniffs.

It was my turn to blink. I turned in my embarrassment back to the fire and checked on fish that had only been set about a minute ago. "Fuck off houshi."

"Alright," he said raising his hands in defeat. "There used to be a time when this particular hanyou wasn't habituated to our crazy human customs. He was clueless. Obviously, the student has passed the master," he gushed as he laid his sarcastic tone on thick. He turned and start off into the forest to do what I assumed was his early morning business.

"Real fuckin' charmin' early in the morning aren't cha?" I called after him, little louder than I probably should have after a low growl.

He was already well outside the boundaries of the clearing when he raised his hand in repose.

There was more stirring in the sleeping bag closest to the fire, on my side, (I liked to think of it as our side). A grumpy, raspy and beautiful voice cut through the air and like a blade into my own heart every time my ears caught a whisper. "Inuyasha?" She didn't sound too happy at all. Far from being afraid of being sat, all the same, if Kagome isn't happy, I generally am not because I am just one word away from being driven into the ground with the force of a battering ram.

"Uh yeah?" I asked, apprehensively.

"Either go back to bed or be quiet." I could definitely tell she was still angry with me. And had possibly turned into a swamp monster overnight.

Regardless, I quieted myself again as I saw Shippo coming around with a kill of his own, knowing the one rule this early in the morning.

** 0**

So, what does everyone think? My first return to writing in a LONG time. Lemme know, I think I will have s'more soon! Chapters will be longer and will probably take around 2-3weeks. Putting a number on it. . . 3000 words each? But whatever they end up being is what they'll be.

Thank you for reading,

Sno_man80


End file.
